Angels News: Brandon Drury's Potential Role Next Season, According to Insider
The Angels' acquisition of Brandon Drury made a ton of sense for a lot of reasons. First, Drury was coming off his best season as a hitter, hitting 28 home runs and 87 RBIs with the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds in 138 games. Second, he's a versatile defender, and can play just about anywhere you need him to in the field. And finally, he came for just two years and $17 million, and took less money to sign with the Angels.
At that low of a contract, there's almost no way the Drury signing doesn't end up working out. However, if he fills his role perfectly, and provides that depth the Angels need all over the field, it could turn out to be a steal — and Sam Blum of The Athletic thinks he'll do just that next season.
"If I had to guess, Drury will platoon with [Jared] Walsh quite a bit. And he’ll start at second quite a bit with Luis Rengifo and David Fletcher playing the bulk at shortstop. Drury and Gio Urshela have very limited experience at shortstop."
Drury may not spend a ton of time at shortstop, which at this point, is the Angels' biggest need. But he'll definitely move around a lot, and provide stability all over the infield and outfield when needed.
If someone gets hurt, Drury will be a perfect candidate to take over their spot on a more full-time basis. But the best-case scenario for the Angels will be a fully healthy team, with Drury moving around all season long.
